Neck-biting?

I've noticed two of my male kittens (8 months old) biting their siblings necks... They stand over the other cat or straddle them and bite the neck. I thought only intact cats did that, but these cats have been neutered since they were about 3-4 months old...
One of them also has been have scuffles with the other cats, not play-fighting but short biting matches where both cats have their ears laid back. Any idea why they would be doing this?

They are establishing dominance

Weird because none of my other cats have done that with each other, and they are only doing it with the other kittens, not my adult cats.
Should I worry that they're going to start spraying next??

I bite my kitties on their necks, gently, usually on the scruff (well, not Ferris, LOL) and I haven't started to pee on them yet. I do it because I love them, and because it lets them know I'm the bosscat in the house.

Seriously, it's typical play behavior - my Baby Bonnie is 6 months old and has a beanie baby bear that she carries around in her mouth, wrestles and bites on its neck. All my cats when playing will "bite" each other, but they never draw blood; it's just their way of having some cat-to-cat fun.

I don't think they are playing. They have their ears back and their body language doesn't look playful. Now I am worried if they are going to stray spraying!

Oh yeah... They are playing . Sometimes it can be scary to see it - they look like they are fighting, but you will get used to it .
If they were fighting, you would know - there would be screaming, hissing, spitting, and probably blood . Kitties play rough, and that's part of the fun. When my kitties stop doing that... That's when I start worrying that there is something wrong.

They used to play-fight all the time when they were younger, but their body language was different than the way they are acting now.

Mine all do the neck biting, boys and girls.

Glad i caught up with this thread.
I have a house guest, ( kitten) 16 week old little girl and one of my boys has been doing the same thing, i did wonder why and now i know.
Glad to hear its play.
Thanks

Yup, mine do this too. Ears back, swatting etc. It is to establish dominance through 'play'. What I find interesting is that they all do it to each other. I don't think anyone has quite established themselves as the alpha kitty...although Fiona does a great job trying!! She is such a hisser. ReeRee is the more physical one, he will chase her and bite her (he gets clumps of her fur in his mouth!) Trust me, you will know when they are truly fighting.

If you are still concerned you can try to grab a toy like something on a string and engage them in playing with you instead of each other. That should help break up the physical intensity between the cats. Or get out the treats...thats should get them off each other and looking at you for the goodies.

But I find its best NOT to interfere, they can feel like you are chosing one over the other and THAT can cause them to fight for REAL. We can sometimes make things worse by trying to make them better. They have their own language and ways of interacting that I find best not to mess with.

Originally Posted by missymotus

Mine all do the neck biting, boys and girls.

Click to expand...

Gus and Lucky do it all the time. Gus also does it to Macie our puppy